Jimmy Moffatt hopes that Highland Lodge's effort in finishing second in the Becher Chase at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday will be enough to grab a place in the 2017 Randox Health Grand National.

The 10-year-old, under Henry Brooke, was only just beaten by a short head by David Pipe's Vieux Lion Rouge as his bid to record back-to-back victories in the Aintree feature was just denied on the line.

His Cumbrian-based trainer felt that his run on Merseyside at the weekend was an even better effort than his victory 12 months ago. That win came on his first start for Moffatt, who bought the horse out of Emma Lavelle's stable.

Despite showing his liking for the famous Aintree obstacles, Highland Lodge just missed the cut for the Grand National itself back in April.

But Moffatt believes his effort this time will be enough to get him into the world's greatest steeplechase on April 8 in the new year, for which he is a best-priced 50-1 with Stan James.

Moffatt said: "We were really proud of him on Saturday. Obviously, we're all in there to win so it hurt for 30 seconds, but the way you have to look at it is that the horse came back after nine months off, so we did that right.

"The time of the Becher Chase was 18 seconds faster than last year. I think it was an improved run from last year.

"I think he'll go up a few pounds now and there's the Aintree factor as well, so I think he'll get in. We just missed out last year and that was a better performance. In my mind he's cemented being a real National horse now.

"He was up 5lb in the Becher from last year and it was a better race this time.

"In two Becher Chases he's not made one mistake.

"He hadn't run since the Scottish National. I think he's a horse that goes well fresh. My first instincts are to let the dust settle and then train him for the National. It's only four months away.

"I think less is more with this horse.

"We can get him fit enough at home. Our gallop is seven furlongs long and rises 302 feet from the bottom to the top, so it's a real pull up the gallop.

"I'm learning about this horse all the time and know much more about how to train him than I did when I first got him just a few weeks before the Becher last year."